December 05, 2005
Lava Lamp
One of our favorite adventures on our honeymoon to Hawaii was our stay in Volcano Villiage at the Bamboo Lodge and the nightime hike out to the Kilauea lava flow. Last week, some 40+ acres of land fell away into the sea, exposing a rare sight - a lava waterfall. 
Some six feet in diameter and plumeting 45 feet to the ocean below, the waterfall appeared after the shelf collapsed over the course of 4.5 hours last week. On our visit in September 2003, there were a handful of active vents, enought to see the lava glowing as the sun set, and to realize how thick the stuff actually can be - much more like oozing rock-like mollases than streaming water like I had always perceived it from photos and video. Anyway, it's quite a sight to see - I highly recommend a visit to Kiluaea if you ever are on the Big Island.
Photos from USGS.gov web site.
Technorati Tags: volcano, lava, kilauea, big island, honeymoon
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October 21, 2005
San Francisco QuickTrip
I took a quick trip out to San Francisco for a DoubleClick meeting in
Napa Oct 16-Oct19. I visited Shane and Vicki Holland and their adorable
little man Ian. Just a few pics since I left my charger at home :-(.
But I did manage to get a few cute pics of Ian and a nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge. In addition to getting a lovely head/chest infection, the DoubleClick meetings were enjoyable - notable for the fabulous dinner at Cakebread Cellars. I spent more on wine I shipped back home than I probably should have. But hey - how often can I get my hands on a reserve wine a winery I love doesn't retail anywhere but at their own vineyard.
Technorati Tags: san francisco, golden gate bridge, napa, cakebread cellars, crissy field
Cakebread waxes on about the wines I purchased below. Not sure if I can wait 7-10 years for that reserve Cabernet, but it might be worth it!
2004 Sauvignon Blanc
Our 2004 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is a near-textbook rendition of the variety's most appealing characteristics. Our 2004 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is a near-textbook rendition of the variety's most appealing characteristics. Fresh, brisk aromas of lime, kiwi, grapefruit, gooseberry and hay introduce a medium-to-full-bodied palate of impressive weight, balance and intensity. The wine's vibrant citrus, guava and melon flavors benefit from a firm underpinning of acidity and a refreshing minerality that asserts itself in the finish, providing structure and counterpoint to the wine's rich fruit. This classic Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc will provide great drinking pleasure over the next 2-3 years, on its own or with a wide range of seafood, poultry, and salad dishes.
2003 Chardonnay Reserve
Our 2003 Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay opens with aromas of sweet butter and oak spice, followed by waves of fresh, spiced-apple, pear and melon fruit scents. On the palate, the wine reveals a rich, mouth-filling texture with ripe, fleshy, apple-y flavors balanced by bright acidity and a refreshing minerality, with savory oak and subtle yeast tones enhancing the long, rich finish. The grapes were night-harvested and whole-cluster pressed to yield fresh, pure juice. After cold-settling in tank for 36 hours, the preponderance of the must (unfermented grape juice) was inoculated with several cultured yeast strains that accentuate the fruitiness and enhance the texture of Chardonnay. The balance was fermented with native yeast strains, which foster greater wine complexity and impart a pleasing mineral tone. All the juice fermented in French oak barrels, with roughly 20% undergoing a secondary, malolactic fermentation to enhance mouth-feel and develop a slight butteriness. Aging on the primary yeast lees for 14 months in barrel, with periodic stirring, added a silky texture and subtle yeasty richness to the wine’s intense varietal fruit flavors. After racking off the lees, the wine was bottled in December, 2004.
2003 Pinot Noir, Carneros Napa Valley
Our 2003 Carneros Pinot Noir displays complex, beguiling aromas of smoky black cherry and fig fruit with intriguing floral and Asian spice tones. In the mouth, the flavors are juicy and mouth-filling, with a pleasing tea-like spiciness in the long, rich finish. Delicious now, this lovely Pinot Noir will develop further complexity with several years’ additional bottle age. Gentle handling of the fruit, moderate fermentation temperatures, and minimal manipulation of the wine during barrel aging are the hallmarks of our approach to Pinot Noir. In 2003, our Carneros fruit was de-stemmed but not crushed, then cold soaked at 500 F. for 72 hours. This helps extract color and flavor from the grapes before alcoholic fermentation begins, leading to more stable color in the wine. We then inoculated the must with a cultured yeast, controlling temperatures to ensure a slow, active fermentation. Small open- and closed-top tanks were used to facilitate both the traditional Burgundian method of punching down the cap, and the more conventional pump-over technique. After fermentation, the wines macerated on the skins for several weeks, checked daily for color and softening of tannins. They were then drained from the tanks, inoculated for malolactic fermentation and put into French oak barrels, 52% new, where they aged undisturbed for 14 months before being removed for final blending and bottling.
2002 Benchland Select, Cabernet Sauvignon
Our 2002 Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon displays a complex, seductive aroma of ripe blackberry and plum fruit augmented by scents of tar, coffee and sweet oak. On the palate, the wine is full-textured and lush, with rich plum, black fig and cocoa flavors supported by smooth tannins. Boasting excellent structure and balance, this delicious Napa Valley Cabernet is delightful to drink now, but will handsomely repay another 7-10 years of cellaring. The grapes for our Napa Valley Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon, which in 2002 was blended with 14% Malbec, come from vineyards in Oakville and Rutherford that lie on Napa’s western benchlands, with 50% issuing from Cakebread Cellars' estate vineyards. The eastern exposures of these gently sloping, well-shaded hillside vineyards allow the grapes to mature at a slow, even pace, which results in wines with optimal color, fragrance and flavor intensity. In 2002, we harvested the fruit at full ripeness between September 16th and October 8th.
2004 Napa Valley Chardonnay
Our 2004 Napa Valley Chardonnay offers fresh, lovely pear and ripe Granny Smith apple aromas with supporting mineral, baked bread and baking spice scents. Full and richly textured on the palate, the citrusy crisp, spiced-apple and pear flavors are enriched by yeast and toasty oak tones that extend into a very long, rich, minerally finish. Our Chardonnay fruit was 100% whole-cluster-pressed to minimize astringency from the skins. Pressing the fruit cold assures even lower extraction of astringent compounds, which also increases the long term aging potential in white wines. Three quarters of the juice was barrel fermented in 35% new French oak barrels at 50-55º F, a slow, cool fermentation that fostered a perfect balance of ripe fruit, yeast, natural acidity and toasty oak. The remaining portion was fermented in stainless steel tanks, with those lots transferred to barrel once fermentation completed. While barrel fermentation promotes complexity and richness, tank fermentation maximizes fruit intensity. Partial malolactic fermentation, primarily of the higher acid lots, further enhanced the harmony of these elements. During nine months of barrel aging, the wines were frequently hand stirred to promote the integration of fruit, yeast, acid and oak, resulting in a beautifully balanced Chardonnay of elegant richness.
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October 03, 2005
Sam goes to NYC
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August 29, 2005
Savannah on a Segway
Carriage tours are so passe. An entrepreneurial gentleman with connections to Savannah, GA is offering tours of the city's historic district - on Segway HTs! At $65/person for a two-hour session including training, the tours are not cheap, but what a great way to enjoy a Segway short of plunking down $5k for one yourself. I wouldn't recommend it in the August heat - but you snowbirds heading down I-95 this Winter should stop by and check these out.
Link: Kinetic Tours - Tomorrow’s Tours of Yesterday
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August 09, 2005
Sam goes to Cooperstown
The extended Handelman family visited Cooperstown, NY in June, 2005 for a little get together. Attending were (obviously) the Handelmans as well as the Hogans, Sagans and Trotz family. Pics include time at the lake, a colonial-era farm, the National Baseball Hall of Fame (go Sox!), and a few pics of the family en masse. Enjoy! Contact joey dot trotz at turner dot com for access to more family photos.
Click here to see the gallery.
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December 23, 2004
Big, Big, Waves
Surfers from around the world converged on Oahu's north shore for an elite invitation-only event to the top competitors in the sport. As reported in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the event has been held only seven times in the past 20 years, the event features a purse over $50,000, and only takes place when waves are generally over 30 feet. 
The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational honors the life of former Waimea Bay lifeguard and surfer Eddie Aikau, who was never found after he paddled off for help when the Hokulea capsized in rough seas in 1978. Someday, I'd like to get back to Hawaii during the winter to see these waves and to watch the whales come through in their seasonal migration, but I did get to photograph the windsurfers on Maui's north shore during our honeymoon in 2003.
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December 05, 2004
In NYC
In NYC through Tuesday, then onto Philly for other meetings. The Atlanta to Laguardia flight this afternoon featured one of Delta's new interiors - very sleek, and very comfortable in first (thank you for the free upgrade, Delta). Pictures here.
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